


A Lingering Warmth

by coffeeat221b



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Feels, Fluff, Johnlock - Freeform, M/M, Oneshot, bbcsherlock - Freeform, bbcsherlockfanfiction, happyendings, johnlockfluff, sherlockandjohn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-04
Updated: 2014-07-04
Packaged: 2018-02-07 11:41:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1897665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coffeeat221b/pseuds/coffeeat221b
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Sherlock hates the world and John comes to console him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Lingering Warmth

There are days when Sherlock has had enough of the world. He ignores the frantic screaming of his alarm clock, makes no move to set the kettle, and remains tangled in a mass of long limbs and white sheets. The thick layers of warmth brush against his cool skin, warning that his cocoon of safety will soon become overheated. But for now, he is motionless, unmoved by the sunlight's attempts to blind him into wakefulness. His ears tune into the London soundtrack, listening to the sounds of the city awakening. For a few minutes, he allows himself to be lulled into a half-conscious state, rocked back and forth by the soft conversations below his window. He can hear the overlapping chirps of several birds. His sleepy mind thinks about his younger days, when he would have allowed Mycroft to lead him by the hand towards the park to feed the pigeons. Those stupid, gawking birds, fluttering their dull feathers and mistaking pebbles for food. 

But the sudden, abrupt scream of a car horn shatters the silence. His drooping eyes snap open, and his heart throws itself against the side of his chest. Sherlock grits his teeth and burrows deeper into the covers, groping around for the blessed moment he has just lost. When it becomes apparent that it will not return, he releases a sigh, the soft sound dragging out in the air. Soon, his ears pick up the soft thuds of John's footsteps passing outside of his room. They pause near the half-open door, their echoes floating in the air. 

Sherlock closes his eyes, slowing his breaths until they're disguised as the exhalations of an asleep man. He can hear the floorboards squeaking underneath his flatmate's weight. A pause, and a warm hand covers the side of his face. Sherlock can feel the heat pulsing from the palm, searing into his flesh as a worn thumb brushes against his sharp cheekbone. _Oh, John,_ he thinks, resisting the urge to lean into the touch. The side of his mattress dips down as John settles on the edge of the bed. The detective holds his breath, and then there are fingers tangling in his nest of dark curls - light and loving as they card through his hair, stroking the top of his head and causing tiny shivers to spiral up the detective's spine. He remains as still as he can, taking on the appearance of a man lost in sleep. He soaks in the warmth of his friend, and he melts against the gentle ministrations of the doctor. He keeps silent for a long time, allowing John to do as he pleases. 

After long moments, the heat leaves his side. The mattress rises back to its normal state as John slips off of the bed. Sherlock restrains a disapproving noise when the hand slides out of his hair. A hollow feeling pries his rib cage apart, but it freezes as a puff of hot breath ghosts against his face. He struggles to keep his eyes closed, sensing the little space in between John's face and his. And _oh._ A pair of lips press against his temple, chapped from the merciless, early morning hours. They pull away too soon, and Sherlock almost follows them, but he stops himself at the last second. He listens to the retreating footsteps, ears straining for the faint creaks of the wooden floorboards until he hears no more.

Sherlock's heart beats a little faster. He curls up tighter in a ball, relishing in the lingering, warm feeling John has left behind in his chest.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this oneshot in one go when boredom clawed at my head. I hope you enjoyed it, lovelies.


End file.
